McHenry PUER Vodka Wins Gold at the Royal Tasmanian Whisky and Spirits Awards

Our PUER Vodka was awarded Gold, scoring 92 points out of 100, and went on to be named Best Vodka of the competition. 

The awards are judged blind, so the judges don't know whose bottle is in front of them. They're simply tasting what's in the glass. Gold is reserved for spirits scoring 90 points or higher, so we were particularly pleased to see our vodka come through with 92. 

What we liked even more were the tasting notes.

The judges described a "sweet, clean and slightly mineral" nose with freshness and brightness. On the palate they found a juicy texture, smoothness, fresh grain and crisp green apple, followed by good warmth, structure and a long, clean finish.

That mention of minerality caught our attention, because water has always been a big part of how we make spirits here in Port Arthur.

It starts with the water

Five natural springs run through the McHenry property, and that spring water is used to bring PUER down to bottling strength after distillation.

Underneath this part of the Tasman Peninsula is some fairly interesting geology. Port Arthur is heavily associated with Jurassic dolerite, formed when molten rock pushed into older sedimentary layers roughly 180 million years ago. Geological surveys around Port Arthur and Radnor have also documented springs appearing along the contacts between dolerite and sandstone.

As rainwater makes its way underground, it travels through fractures and comes into contact with rock. Water is a natural solvent, so along the way it can pick up small amounts of dissolved minerals. Calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium and bicarbonate are among the minerals commonly found in groundwater, although the exact make-up depends entirely on the local geology.

We won't pretend that you can taste a piece of dolerite in a glass of vodka, or that one mineral is responsible for the result. Distillation, the spirit itself and the way it is proofed all matter too. But when water makes up such a significant part of the finished bottle, we're fairly particular about the water we use.

In our case, we don't have to go far for it.

It comes out of the ground here in Port Arthur.

Gold. 92 points. Best Vodka.